Pecan Pie Cheesecake

Cheesecake and Pecan Pie together in one dessert. How could anything be better?

This outrageously good Pecan Pie Cheesecake has a crust made from vanilla wafer crumbs, a nutty and sweet pecan pie layer topped off with a cool and creamy cheesecake layer. I’ve become obsessed with the Crock Pot Dulce de leche I made recently so I drizzled that on top.

This was the first cheesecake I’ve made in eons. I’m surprised I even still had my springform pan.

Note: The recipe (from Taste of the South) did not call for a water bath and I didn’t use one. I thought about it, but I didn’t have any aluminum foil to wrap around the bottom of my springform pan.

When I took the cheesecake out of the oven, it looked absolutely perfect. Completely smooth on top. But when I walked past it about 10 minutes later, it had a giant crack down the middle. Easily fixed with some Dulce de Leche.

But if you don’t want a crack, try using a water bath. Although I’m not sure how much they really help. I’ve heard of plenty of people who have used a water bath and had their cheesecake crack and others who never use a water bath and never have cracks. I should probably check my oven temperature to see if it is running hot.

Anyone have any cheesecake baking tips?

But crack or no crack this is a truly decadent dessert. I love a pecan pie but it is an insanely sweet dessert. This Pecan Pie Cheesecake is perfect for when you want something sweet, but not something sickeningly sweet. You still get to enjoy the flavor of a pecan pie, but the cheesecake layer cuts down on the sweetness.

I’m going to try to start making 1 cheesecake a month, but this one is going to be hard to top!

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87 thoughts on “Pecan Pie Cheesecake”

I cooked the cheesecake exactly the way you did was soooo very good. The only thing was the edge was hard so I’m not sure what I did wrong.. Do you have any advice and it was only the edge of the pecan and crust part about less then a half inch in.. Thanks so much for the delicous recipe.

i baked this pecan pie cheesecake, and oh boy, was this a big hit with all my family. The cheesecake baked perfectly in water bath, I have never seen a more perfect , tall cheesecake, and was it the most delicious thing I ever tasted. I could not even believe I baked such a magnificent product, thank you so much for giving us these wonderful, delicious recipes. Mrs. Eunice Saenz-Mission,TX

I made this cake for the first time the other day, and it turned out perfect. I read some of the other comments about a water bath…there is no need. The cake only cracks if you over beat the mixture when adding eggs. I accidentally cooked my cake at 315 for the first 45 minutes, so then I bumped it up to 325 for the last 15…. turned off the oven and left for exactly an hour….the cake came out perfect…not a single crack..even after it cooled. The pecan mixture I cooked for a little under 8 minutes…it came out perfectly as well…..I followed the instructions on the crust…pre-baked it..still awesome..wasn’t too hard. Not sure why some of the commentators had such problems…lack of experience in making cheesecakes perhaps?? Anyway, great recipe…will be saving in the archives for future use 🙂

This cake is delicious. After making it several times I have learned that in order to get the perfect crust and pecan layer is to cook it in a water bath and actually let the water soak into the pan. I lined the outside of the pan with aluminum foil and cut a slit into the bottom of the foil. The first time I did this it was by accident and I thought I has ruined the cake. I know it sounds extremely strange but it makes it absolutely perfect.

I made this recipe exactly as described- except that I did not pre bake the crust and I only cooked the pecan mixture for about a minute after boil. The cheesecake was absolutely perfect- no cracks- with the hour left in the oven after cooking with the door cracked. No water bath or oven water needed. The pecan level was still challenging to cut through but it wasn’t hard at all. It had a chewy consistency. To be safe I wrapped the outside based of my springform with foil- but it wasn’t needed. When I removed the foil there were no leaks. I was patient and let it cool completely at room temp before removing the sides- and after running a fork around the sides I had nothing stuck at all. It was really picture perfect. I made six pies from scratch for Thanksgiving but this cheesecake was gone first. Gorgeous texture to the cheesecake! Will make again!

I really loved this cheesecake and so did my dinner party guest. I did follow some of the suggestions I only cooked the pecan filling for a few minutes and it was not hard but the crust I baked for about 5 min. and it was rock hard and butter melted all over my oven floor. It tasted great, some of the guest were scraping it off the pan bottom. I will make this cheesecake a few more time further tweaking it since it has such potential.

This was AMAZING!!! I made it for our Christmas Eve party and everyone loved it! I had never made a cheesecake before and was fairly certain that I had ruined it due to my lack of experience and some oven issues but it turned out perfect! I followed some of the advice on previous comments and didn’t bake the crust or boil the pecan mixture and it was ooey gooey goodness! I tried the dulce de leche recipe and that didn’t turn out so well so I topped with whip cream and a drizzle of caramel instead. Thank you so much for a fabulous recipe!!

I always use a 9″ springform pan. I bought a silicone pan that fits over the springform pan. Then purchased a 11″ metal watering dish from tractor supply store! Put the springform pan inside the silicone pan and place both in watering dish. Fill dish half way with water and bake at 300 degrees until tiny circle in middle of cheesecake wiggles only.. Always let sit in oven after turning off oven! I never have a cheesecake crack!!

recently made this made me giggle a little in the baking instructions. i did not follow them instead i baked the cheese cake at 300° for 1 hour and about 20 min when the center and side put up the same amount of resistance. also in my bake shop we dont use sping form pans, i used a 9in cake pan with parchment on the bottom and on the sides to aid in the removal. i also froze it so that way i was able to get a very clean cut line.

Okay so this cheesecake was a HIT! I made it for thanksgiving and my entire family absolutely loved it. I followed the tips I found in the comments such as leaving the cream cheese out overnight so it’s nice and soft when you use it, I did not pre bake the crust, I only cooked the pecan filling in the pot until the edges rose and got bubbly, and then I poured it right in the crust. I then poured the cheesecake right over the top (it will start to kinda mix together). Then I baked for a little over 1 hour at 300 degrees and let it sit in the oven for 1 hour with a wooden spoon in the door. AMAZING. No cracks, baked to perfection.

Wow..this was delicious. The only thing I altered from was keeping the oven door propped open with a wooden spoon the 2nd hour. Oh, and I used store bought caramel. The crust was amazing. The cheesecake even better. Wow.

Hi Megan. Wish I could give you good advice but I have never tried making it without the heavy cream so I can’t say for sure. Let me know how it turns out if you give it a try. You could probably get away with using half-and-half if you have that.

My husband made this for the first time last night and after chilling it overnight in the fridge I had it for breakfast. AMAZING. He will have to tweak the recipe a bit however. Our advice is to NOT pre-bake the crust or Pecan pie filling before hand. It already bakes for a whole hour. The Pecan pie filling was delicious but many parts were super chewy, I’m guessing because the corn syrup and sugars caramelized a bit too much. Also, we took the advice from previous commenters and lowered the oven temp to 300 degrees during baking and cracked the oven open with a wooden spoon during the cooling part (second hour). If you can, chill it overnight to get the real cheesecake feel. The cheesecake portion was amazing and it’s a good recipe to keep if you just want plain cheesecake! It’s not a difficult recipe but it does require some work! Well worthwhile!

Just wanted to leave a tip! To prevent your cheesecake from cracking cut out some parchment paper and lay it directly on top of the cheesecake. Remove it after the cooling period. I’ve made a lot of cheesecakes and this trick works just about every time! (Oh and my cheesecakes are gluten free…this recipe worked with gluten free flour!)

Sounds interesting. My honey loves pecan pie. As for tips, I have some. I make a lot of cheesecakes, here’s what i do. Room temp ingredients. Don’t over beat, esp. when putting eggs in. Lower the temp to 300. It takes longer to cook but you will have a flat top, even color and no overcooked raised edges. Also, I never use a water bath either. I do put a pan of water (I use my 9×13 pyrex cake pan) and fill it 2/3 to 3/4 full of boiling water after I set it on the bottom rack of the oven then put the cheesecake on the rack above it. When done, turn off the oven, leave the door shut for an hour, run a knife around the edges (do not remove the the side) leave it in the oven to finish cooling. I rarely deal with cracks doing this and when I do its because I used cool ingredients or overbeat the filling.

This was the worst cheese cake I have ever made. Crust was hard as a rock . The cheese cake part had a horrible texture and flavor. It looked so good but it tasted awful. Had to throw it out- so disappointed!

Re the crack in your cheesecake. try letting it cool gradually without opening the oven after the cooking time is up. Too fast cooling will cause cracks. And of course, you may cover the crack with something yummy!

this is a GREAT recipe !! i totally loved it ! and all of my family enjoyed it ! but the pecan layer was so HARD . i had a hard time slicing the cheesecake , and eating it , i think i over simmer the batter :/ i’ll try it agin soon , thank you for sharing such a great yummy recipe !

This is an amazing cheesecake. I have made it twice, the second time I cooked the pecan layer less like another reader suggested, turned out great. I also removed the pan as soon as the cheesecake was set. Delicious!

im so confused. I followed all directions to a T and had sooo much cheesecake batter left. I used a 9 inch pie pan and the pecan filling took up most of the pan and then I poured the cheesecake batter in until it was almost overflowing and I still had tons leftover so I made 9 mini cheesecakes! I hope it turns out okay and I’m surprised that no one else had this problem. I’ve never seen whipping cream in a cheesecake before and I feel like it made the batter a little more runny than I’m used to. We shall see in an hour!

I think the problem was that you used a 9 inch pie pan when you should have used a 9 inch springform pan, the ones used for cheesecakes. They are much deeper and shouldn’t have the cheesecake fall over the pan

I have made this several times. I put water in a pan on the bottom rack of my oven and then put the cheesecake on the rack above it. Works great. NO cracks! I’ve made it in a 9 x 13 too. (I read another post that said to put a spoon in the door to cool it down so it doesn’t crack). The door needs to stay closed for 1 hour so it can finish baking.

Its in the oven! Phew that was a lot of work, lol. I only have one springform pan and its a 10″, I hope that will be ok, I don’t know how on earth you fit all of that into a 9″! Instead of using 1 &3/4 cup wafer crumbs I used 2 cups and increased the butter slightly to cover my bigger pan (honestly I should have used another 1/3 cup since my pan was bigger) everything else i followed to a t. there was maybe 1/2″ of room left in the pan to the top, this is my first cheesecake ever, so I have no idea if I need to worry about overflow or not? Anyway it looked delicious and the pecan layer smelled wonderful! I didnt have time to make the dulce de leche sauce, so i picked up a bottle of caramel sauce instead. Thank you for the wonderdul recipe! I’ve really been wanting pecan pie but without the toothache 🙂

I love this idea!! Pecan Pie during the holidays is the best, and making it into a cheesecake is genius! Do you think I’d be able to use this recipe and make them into minis using a muffin tin? I have two Thanksgivings, and making two separate cheesecakes is doable, but inconvenient.

This does tend to be a harder crust since it is baked before the filling is put in. If you want a more tender crust, you can try skipping the prebaking and just chill the crust until it firms up. Then proceed with the recipe.

You can use either, but will have to cut quite a bit of time off the cooking time. You could also use a cake pan and cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom and then a strip to fit around the sides.

I’ve always avoided my cheesecakes from cracking by the cooling process . I turn the oven off and place a wooden spoon in the oven door to have a slight opening and let it cool about an hour before removing .

I posted, but not sure if worked. Maybe delete this if difficult. The outside layer of cheesecake retains all the heat inside. They need to come out earlier. cracking is a sign of overbaking, I have never used a waterbath on cheesecake, and only reduce the cooktime. Should prevent the cracking. (My uncle had a bakery, and thats his tip from 10 years ago)

My uncle used to own a bakery, and he said the secret to cheesecake is to take it out early. It will continue to cook in the pan, hence the cracks. I am going to try your recipe and decrease the baking time by 10 minutes

WOW this cheesecake looks incredible! Wish I had a massive slice to devour right now – loving that dulce de leche drizzle especially. You definitely can consider I will be making the recipe soon, I just hope mine turns out as good as yours!

I agree 100%. This stunner is going to be IMPOSSIBLE to top. Holy MOLEY, Christin this cheesecake is totally gorgeous! Pecan pie is my favorite kinda pie and you probably know that I’m nutso over cheesecake. This is just pure awesomeness. 😀 Pinned!

Wow – I seriously can’t think of anything better than cheesecake and pecan pie either. This is one GORGEOUS dessert! I am drooling over that crock pot dulce de leche draping over that slice – this cake and the pictures are just stunning Christin!

Oh my gosh, I really don’t think that it could get any better than this! My mouth is watering right now this looks so good! Pecan pie has always been one of my favorites, but I love cheesecake even more so this combo sounds like heaven to me 🙂